Swiftwater / Surface Drysuit

Yah I know no brand names on here. But I'm looking for a Drysuit which can be used for Water rescue. I see mustang has made 2 types one for Surface swimmer and one for Swift water. Has any one tried these suits or what is it that you use? Weve tried the Mustang Ice Commanders which we use for Ice Rescue. To use during a surface Swim is pretty awkward. Remember I live in Canada so youre palm beach water a little warmer. We could use a wet suit but with contamination Dry Suit Preferred.
Jafa62
Canada

Take a look at the Mustang MSD575. We have been using them for approx 1 year now and love them. They have kevlar panels in strategic spots to protect against rips and tears. One other nice feature is the draw string neck seal. Alot better than the cut style neck seal. Makes ease of use for multiple people. Fairly warm, though still have to wear some decent weight undergarments. They have pretty much replaced our wetsuits since we operate it cold water most of the year (vermont).

So far we have not had any problems with leakage around the neck seal. We have used them in moving river water and in the lake. As long as people close the drawstrings before they get in the water, its been a non issue. Nice feature when you are standing around and waiting to get wet.

exposure suits

I am a coastie, and I was a ship rescue swimmer for 3 years. I spent two of those years based out of Port Angeles, Washington. I have used suits made by Mustang, USIA, and Kokatat. Our boat crew used the Mustang MSD500's, my swimmer suit was a USIA, and I had a Kokatat for boat crew (stuck with old faithful). We really didn't have a problem with the functionality of the MSDs. Any leaks we had were because the user didn't wear it properly. The nice thing about them was that the thermal layer was integrated into the suit (removed via the zipper). It was relativeyly comfortable, and the advantage of fitting a couple different people was a big plus. Personally, I like the Kokatat. It has old style neck seals but hey are stiched in rather than glued. They have goretex (waterproof) socks sown into them, so you could throw a good pair of synthetic socks under them, and wear normal boots. or you could put booties on over them and wear fins. The suit is a shell, and ours came with a light weight thermal layer, but I usually used the thick one for my USIA swimmer suit. The only thing with neck seals is PROPER MAINTENANCE!!! We used stuff called AP303. It is more expensive than baby powder, but it won't dry rot your seals. You can use it on any type of drysuit http://www.303products.com/tech/inde...Product_ID=428. Be careful if you use it on boats though, because it is very slippery, and once the surface is treated, it stays on very well. We used it to maintain our 23' Zodiac Hurricanes.

Drysuit

I have had good luck with the Mustang Suits. True, you might get some water in through the adjustable neck seal but not much. That option is very nice to have when on shore. It also makes it nice for departments that lack the $1000.00 plus that they go for. Team members can share them and not have to worry about neck size.

Drysuits

I have heard good things about the Mustang new drysuits but also look at the OS Systems they are all American made and have good turn around on repairs. All drysuits blow a seal or get torn sooner or later and OS Systems seems to have a good turn around rate.

I'm not familiar with the mustang but DUI makes a nice suit that the Coast Guard uses for their rescue swimmers.http://www.dui-online.com/mil_dry_cg.htm
I've tried it and it is comfortable as well as easy to use. I haven't yet used it in bad swift water (not much in our area) but if it works in the Baltic sea I'm guessing it will be OK for most of our use.